His Promise of Frozen Pizza

I had never suffered a day of hardship in my life. But for Miguel, I had forced smiles through shady business deals and drank until I passed out.

I humbled myself, pulling strings for him like I had nothing to my name. My parents watched in agony, begging me not to debase myself like this.

Each time, I wiped my tears and told them that Miguel would never let me down. But he kept saying he wasn't ready for marriage.

Year after year passed. The Principessa of the Sterling family, once the envy of every other Don, had slowly become a cautionary tale—the woman left waiting, a constant subject of whispered gossip among the five families.

And now, I was just tired.

My phone lit up. Gia had a new post.

"He canceled all his meetings to go test-drive cars with me. Who said old-school men don't know romance?"

The photo showed the two of them at a sports car dealership. Gia was glowing. Miguel's head was tilted toward her, and his adoring gaze sent a sharp pang through my heart.

The man who had built his entire persona on being old-school and down-to-earth had apparently learned all the right moves for Gia.

A bitter, undeniable truth lodged in my throat.

Yes. Who said old-school men don't know how to love? He just didn't love me.

I called Papa. My voice was hoarse when he answered.

"Papa, I'll accept the Valeriano family's arrangement."

...

The next morning, Miguel came home to find me sitting on the sofa. He frowned as he walked in.

"Why are you sitting here alone? It's chilly, you'll catch a cold."

He draped his jacket over my shoulders. When I remained silent, he sighed, then pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and knelt before me.

"Still angry about last night? Gia's young, she hasn't seen the world. I just wanted to broaden her horizons. I don't want her starting from scratch with nothing, like I did. This… I bought this for you. Aveline, you're the one I want to marry. Will you?"

The way he looked up at me, so humble and sincere, was a ghost of the man I once knew. Despite everything, my heart wavered.

I was about to say yes, but his next words yanked me back to a cold reality. "But you did upset Gia last night. She was crying. So, I gave her the 10% stake in the two clubs Papa was going to transfer to our name as a wedding gift."

I froze. "Miguel. Can you even hear yourself?"

My parents had originally wanted nothing to do with Miguel. Only after I pleaded endlessly and swallowed countless grievances did they finally consent to the marriage.

Even then, they had one condition: a 10% stake in two of the Sterling family's clubs had to be transferred to my name as part of the prenuptial agreement. And now, Miguel wanted to give it all away just to placate Gia.

"Aveline, my Mamma always says marriage is about managing a life together. Dowries are just an old-fashioned way of putting a price on a woman. It's so outdated."

Miguel squeezed my hand, a smile on his face but a calculating glint in his eyes.

"You're the only heir. The Sterling family assets—they're all going to be yours one day. If you play this right, maybe you can even get your Papa to sign over more of the family business before the wedding."

He must have seen the shift in my expression, because his tone softened. "You know me. I'm old-school. My thinking is simple. Everything I do is for our future."

Old-school. The same tired excuse.

I remained motionless. I took a slow breath, then smiled. "Alright."

"Principessa, I think—" my bodyguard started.

I raised a hand to stop him and continued in a voice dripping with false cheer.

"Why stop at an extra 10%? Let's have Papa throw in half the shares of the main company."

"And let's not even have a wedding. We're practical. A simple registration at city hall is enough. No venue, no dress, no fanfare."

"Same for the reception. We're not extravagant. Pizza and beer for the guests is fine. But your parents are coming from far away, so we should prepare a decent meal for them. The best, of course."

Miguel stared at me. Then a smile, brighter than any I had seen in years, broke across his face. He swept me into his arms.

"Aveline! I knew you'd come around! I'm so glad you've finally become so reasonable. I'm the luckiest man in the world."

He practically danced towards the door. "Gia, did you hear that? I told you Aveline wasn't a gold digger!"